Zoomi and Zoe and the Tricky Turnaround

by Corey Ann Haydu, Anne Appert (Illustrator)

Overview

The Princess in Black meets Monsters, Inc. in this zany, heartwarming series for early readers 4 to 8 years old!

Written by the acclaimed Corey Ann Haydu with sweet, quirky illustrations by Anne Appert, the Zoomi and Zoe series explores the wonder and anxiety of life's first big transitions with warmth, whimsy, and plenty of silliness.

In GlumbleGlibble, one ritual is certain: when something hard happens, it’s called a Tricky Turnaround. And when it does, a Happy Helpful Human from the “real” world will help you through it.

But when Zoomi’s best friend moves away and Zoe arrives, she doesn’t seem very happy. Or helpful. Or excited about the party Zoomi threw for her—complete with toothbrushes and tuba music. In fact, Zoe may be in a Tricky Turnaround of her own. Can Zoomi and Zoe help each other with the trickiest parts of growing up, like saying goodbye to friends and making new ones?

“This wholly magical, wholly child-centered story of GlumbleGlibblers and the humans who love them reads like rolling down a rainbow mud slide to find a picnic waiting at the bottom. With cake, of course.”—Liz Garton Scanlon, author of the Bibsy Cross series

Keep an eye out for book two, The Sibling Situation, launching in August 2025!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683694588
Publisher:	Quirk Publishing
Publication date:	06/03/2025
Series:	Zoomi and Zoe , #1
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	6.26(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.48(d)
Lexile:	610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Corey Ann Haydu is the author of many critically acclaimed books for young readers, including Eventown, Lawless Spaces, Ever Cursed, and One Jar of Magic. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two young daughters, and you can visit her online at coreyannhaydu.com.

Anne Appert is an illustrator and storyteller who uses humor and whimsy to inspire kids to dream big and love themselves. Their first book was Blob, a picture book about being yourself. Their second book, What If You Wish?, is a picture book about the power of perseverance and wonder. You can visit Anne at anneappert.com.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

There was one thing Zoomi loved: parties.

And there was one place Zoomi didn’t want to be: Moo’s party.

Not because Zoomi didn’t like Moo. In fact, Zoomi loved Moo. Moo was Zoomi’s best friend.

Which is exactly why Zoomi didn’t want to be at his going away party.

There were starcakes and a cloud house and dinosaur rides. But Zoomi would give up a hundred dinosaur rides if it meant Moo could stay.

“I can’t stay,” Moo said when Zoomi asked for the fifty-third time. They were eating starcakes while waiting for their turn to go down the rainbow mud slide. “We have a new home now. Three hours away.”

Zoomi didn’t know much about hours, but three sounded like too many. And she could not think of anywhere better than Moo’s cave, where he lived now. Except for maybe Doug’s bubble palace. Or Izly’s treetop home. Or Zoomi’s own invisible castle. But Moo’s parents had found some other cave in some other place, far away from Zoomi.

“Your turn,” Moo said. He always let Zoomi go first.

Zoomi went splat onto her furry stomach and did a slip-slide-swoosh down the rainbow mud. When she got up, her fur had turned every color of the rainbow. Moo went down next. His slippery scales made him go extra fast. When he got to the bottom, his parents said it was time to go.

The party was over.

“Don’t worry,” Moo said when Zoomi started to cry. “This is our Tricky Turn-around! And you know what that means.” Zoomi was crying so hard she only heard the last word Moo said.

“It is mean!” she replied. “It is so mean that your parents are making you move away!”

Moo tried again.

“No, Zoomi, that’s not what I said. I said it’s our Tricky Turnaround. We’ll finally get our Happy Helpful Humans! And they’ll get us! And then you’ll go down the rainbow mud slide together.”

Zoomi wiped away some tears. How had she forgotten? Her Happy Helpful Human! She had been waiting her whole life for this!

“I’m really going to get one?” Zoomi asked.

“We both are,” Moo said.

Zoomi swallowed. Moo’s Human was the luckiest. Moo’s Human got to have Moo. But first, Moo had to leave Zoomi. That was the sad part.

There couldn’t be a Tricky Turnaround and a Happy Helpful Human without the sad part.

And the sad part was really, really sad.

That’s what made it so tricky.

Editorial Reviews

03/17/2025

Young Zoe is heartbroken when her best friend moves away. Then her beloved stuffed rhino, Zoomi, vanishes. Unbeknownst to her, these separations herald a Tricky Turnaround, a magical event during which Zoe can cross to the realm of GlumbleGlibble and befriend the real Zoomi. But everything goes wrong upon the duo’s long-awaited meeting: Zoe, who is white, loves lists and plans, and she’s frightened by pushy Zoomi’s impulsivity. Zoomi is similarly disappointed in Zoe’s reaction to GlumbleGlibble’s welcome party, which Zoomi and company furnished with things they were certain a human would love, like a shoe-shaped cake and a mountain of toothpaste. She wonders why Zoe isn’t excited to hold hands and traverse down the gigantic rainbow mud slide, an activity meant to distinguish them as official BFFs. Can the human girl and mystical being work past their expectations to become true friends? In this earnest early reader chapter book series opener, Haydu (A Place for Feelings) sweetly addresses the importance of communication and compromise in fostering positive relationships. Brightly colored illustrations packed with whimsical details by Appert (What If You Wish?) amplify Zoe and Zoomi’s tender emotional journey. Ages 4–8. (June)

Publishers Weekly

This whimsical chapter book shines with good humor, vibrant artwork, and empathy for young readers and their emotional ups and downs.”—Caroline Carlson, Lit Hub

“A sweet exploration of communication and compromise, dealing with loss, and making new friends.”—Ana Menchaca, Booklist

“Haydu (A Place for Feelings) sweetly addresses the importance of communication and compromise in fostering positive relationships. Brightly colored illustrations packed with whimsical details by Appert (What If You Wish?) amplify Zoe and Zoomi’s tender emotional journey.”—Publishers Weekly

“This wholly magical, wholly child-centered story of GlumbleGlibblers and the humans who love them reads like rolling down a rainbow mud slide to find a picnic waiting at the bottom. With cake, of course.”—Liz Garton Scanlon, author of the Bibsy Cross series

From the Publisher

05/01/2025

Gr 2–4—Zoomi, a rhino-like stuffie from GlumbleGlibble, and Zoe, a girl from the Human world, cross paths in a magical yet confusing adventure. In the world of stuffies, the Tricky Turnaround happens when they are adopted—happy to find a human but sad to leave their friends. However, the story lacks needed backstory and explanation. Zoe is suddenly pulled into GlumbleGlibble without understanding what's happening, making her experience feel more frightening than magical. Zoomi dragging her down a giant mudslide despite her protests highlights issues with communication rather than teaching about friendship. With too many new concepts introduced at once, the story feels overwhelming and unfocused. The real highlight of the book is the soft, colorful, and magical illustrations, which bring the world of GlumbleGlibble to life in a way the text struggles to. VERDICT A secondary purchase for large libraries where whimsical fantasy is popular.

School Library Journal